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San Francisco 49ers

Two of the worst teams in the NFC collide when the 1-7 New York Giants visit the 2-7 San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

New York Giants

The New York Giants are coming off a bye week after losing five straight games, including a 20-13 home setback against the Washington Redskins on October 28. Washington sacked Eli Manning seven times, forced two interceptions, limited Saquon Barkley to 38 rushing yards on 13 carries and made big play after big play. A major difference in the game was that the Redskins capitalized in the red zone, especially in the first half. Manning completed 30 of 47 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown but he had two costly turnovers and Odell Beckham Jr. caught eight passes for 136 receiving yards.

The Giants are averaging 275.4 passing yards (9th in the NFL) and 77.9 rushing yards (31st). New York ranks 27th with 18.8 points per game and 21st with 25.6 points against. Eli Manning has passed for 2,377 yards, eight touchdowns and six interceptions, Saquon Barkley has 519 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 111 carries and Odell Beckham Jr. has 61 receptions for 785 yards and two touchdowns. Landon Collins has 62 tackles and B.J. Hill has two sacks.

San Francisco 49ers

Nick Mullens had the most productive game by a quarterback in his NFL debut since the merger, completing 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns and a 151.9 passer rating (the highest for a quarterback with at least 15 attempts in an NFL debut since 1970) to lead the San Francisco 49ers to an impressive 34-3 home beatdown of the struggling Oakland Raiders on November 1.

Mullens threw touchdown passes to Pierre Garcon and Kendrick Bourne on the opening two drives, as well as a 71-yard one-handed catch-and-run play to George Kittle to set up a third touchdown pass to Kittle. Raheem Mostert added a 52-yard touchdown run and the San Francisco defense generated eight sacks for the first time since 2009. Mullens’ performance earned him another chance to start over C.J. Beathard, who’s just 1-9 in 10 career starts.

The 49ers are averaging 219.9 passing yards (24th in the NFL) and 134.7 rushing yards (4th). San Francisco ranks 18th with 22.8 points per game and 24th with 26.6 points against. Matt Breida has 531 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 96 carries and George Kittle has 41 receptions for 692 yards and three touchdowns. Fred Warner has 73 tackles and DeForest Buckner has 5.5 sacks.

NFL Trends:

The New York Giants are:

11-23-1 ATS in their last 35 games in November

4-10 ATS in their last 14 games against NFC opponents

3-11 ATS in their last 14 games in Week 10

1-4 ATS in their last five games after accumulating more than 250 passing yards in their previous game

1-4 ATS in their last five games following a bye week

The San Francisco 49ers are:

26-6 ATS in their last 32 Monday games

The 49ers will be aggressive at home once again and Mullens will have the chance to make plays but this is a tough call, this game can go in many directions because of the playmakers that the Giants have in Barkley and Beckham Jr. but I’ll ride the wave with the quarterback who has the hot hand and back the 49ers to cover.

Two disappointing teams collide on Monday Night Football when the San Francisco 49ers visit the Green Bay Packers. This was supposed to be a must-watch contest with Jimmy Garoppolo and a surging 49ers team going up against Aaron Rodgers and a talented Packers team but with Jimmy G sidelined for the rest of the season and the Packers playing inconsistent football, this game could determine where both teams go next.

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers almost beat the Los Angeles Chargers in C.J. Beathard‘s first start of the season and that 29-27 loss gave fans hope. Some even expected them to be competitive without Jimmy G but last week’s 28-18 home loss against the Arizona Cardinals was a wake-up call and this team seems to be going nowhere.

Beathard completed 34 of 54 passes for 349 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and he added seven yards and a touchdown on the ground, Alfred Morris ran for 61 yards on 18 carries and Trent Taylor made seven catches for 61 yards and one touchdown. San Francisco had 447 total yards against Arizona’s 220, they got 33 1st downs while Arizona had just 10 and they had possession of the ball for 40:12 while Arizona’s time of possession was 19:48 but it wasn’t enough because of their five turnovers.

The 49ers are averaging 241.8 passing yards (22nd in the NFL) and 136.2 rushing yards (4th). San Francisco ranks 15th with 23.6 points per game and 29th with 29.2 points against. C.J. Beathard has passed for 647 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions, Matt Breida has 369 rushing yards and one touchdown on 49 carries and George Kittle has 23 receptions for 399 yards and one touchdown. Fred Warner has 46 tackles and DeForest Buckner has 3.5 sacks.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers could not overcome uncharacteristic mistakes by veteran kicker Mason Crosby and Aaron Rodgers, who lost two fumbles for just the third time in his 14-year career. Crosby missed a career-high four field goals in one game and an extra point to boot.

Rodgers, missing injured wide receivers Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison, was 32 of 52 for 442 yards with three touchdowns and Davante Adams caught nine passes for 140 receiving yards and one touchdown but Detroit prevailed 31-23 despite having 18 1st downs against Green Bay’s 30. The Packers had almost twice as many total yards as the Lions (521-264) but their three turnovers and Crosby’s bad day were the difference.

The Packers are averaging 299.8 passing yards (10th in the NFL) and 101.2 rushing yards (19th). Green Bay ranks 18th with 23.0 points per game and 14th with 22.8 points against. Aaron Rodgers has passed for 1572 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception, Jamaal Williams has 195 rushing yards on 53 carries and Davante Adams has 37 receptions for 425 yards and four touchdowns. Blake Martinez has 39 tackles and three sacks and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has three interceptions.

NFL Trends:

The San Francisco 49ers are:

3-7 ATS in their last 10 games against NFC opponents

2-6 ATS in their last eight games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game

1-4 ATS in their last five games overall

2-9 ATS in their last 11 games in October

4-11-2 ATS in their last 17 meetings with the Packers

1-4-1 ATS in their last six meetings in Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers are:

5-1 ATS in their last six home games against a team with a losing road record

19-9-1 ATS in their last 29 games in October

This spread may seem difficult to cover but the Packers already covered a large spread in their 22-0 home win against the Bills in Week 4 and this game could head in that direction. Green Bay can’t afford another loss, Aaron Rodgers is trying to prove why many consider him the best quarterback in the NFL and San Francisco has not much to play for after losing Garoppolo for the rest of the season.

I just can’t see a turnover-prone quarterback like C.J. Beathard keeping up with Aaron Rodgers, who will be facing one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Beathard has had at least one turnover in all eight games he’s thrown a pass and he’s had two or more in half of them.

Dalvin Cook is not expected to play for the Vikings in week 5. Cook has battled hamstring woes all season and sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that it would take an impressive turnaround for him to be on the field.

Here’s a rundown of more updates on player injuries:

Tight end Hayden Hurst is expected to make his debut for Ravens against the Browns, according to Adam Schefter’s twitter feed.

Larry Fitzgerald, who is dealing with back and hamstring injuries, is expected to play for the Cardinals against the 49ers.

Waiting on a quarterback is a common strategy this year, though some quarterbacks are still going way too high in drafts. Let’s take a look at some players who are being over-drafted in ESPN standard leagues:

The future Hall of Famer finished last year with only 23 touchdowns, which was the fewest he has ever thrown with the Saints. Brees finished 9th in total points among QB’s last season, placing him behind Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford, and Kirk Cousins. He finished only 12 total points higher than Blake Bortles. With a high powered RB arsenal in New Orleans, led by the now 2nd year Alvin Kamara, expect more of the ground game for the Saints, as they look to keep Brees healthy and fresh in their attempt to make it back to the playoffs. At 75 overall, many elite skill players will still be on the board, including some potential breakout rookie RB’s and the occasional WR1.

Big Ben was the QB10 last year. However, he finished just a handful of points ahead of Jared Goff in the same amount of games. As one of the more physically imposing QB’s, Big Ben has taken countless big hits over his career. There are quite a few signal callers at least 10 years younger than Roethlisberger, whose bodies haven’t withstood the grind of the NFL for nearly 15 years, as his has. The NFL is a young man’s game, and one just has to wonder when that physical toll is going to catch up to the 6’5” QB. If healthy, with Antonio Brown, Big Ben could win you more than a few games. That being said, at this point in the draft, starters at skill positions will still be abundant.

Jimmy Garoppolo has proven he can win regular season games; people forget he has yet to lose a start in the NFL. What he hasn’t given you proof of, to this point, is that he can put up a top 10 or even top 12 QB season. Right now his ADP is 4 picks lower than 2016’s MVP Matt Ryan. He’s being selected above Phillip Rivers and Dak Prescott, last season’s QB8 and QB11, respectively. Garoppolo may have a bright future in the NFL, but around pick 107 there will still be a solid selection of WR2’s and valuable RB handcuffs.

Check out Tuesday’s six pack of NFL stats to help you dominate your fantasy football draft:

Davante Adams has never surpassed 1,000 yards during a season in his career, though it’s he’s a good bet to reach that milestone this season. Aaron Rodgers has produced 10 1,000 yard receivers and with Adams being the top target (he saw 19.3% of Rodgers throws last year, most on the team), he’ll likely be the 11th.

Alex Collins is a guy I’m targeting in both .5 ppr and standard scoring drafts. He was RB8 in standard scoring from weeks 8-17 and had six top-15 finishes during that stretch.

Golden Tate has finished 24th or better during every campaign in Detroit and he’s an underrated target in standard scoring. He earned WR3 numbers or better is 61.5% of his starts (better than Adam Theilen, who’s going in the third/fourth round). Tate will also face the 13th easiest schedule for opposing WR. Pair Tate with a guy like Tyreke Hill if you’re going RB-RB with your first two picks.

Emmanuel Sanders is an underrated asset in fantasy. He’s got the attention of new QB Case Keenum and he’s got a favorable playoff schedule with the Broncos facing the 49ers, Browns, and Raiders in weeks 14-16.

The 49ers are facing the 12th easiest schedule for WRs and Pierre Garcon is a player getting overlooked. Garcon was on pace for 134 targets, 80 catches and over 1,000 receiving yards prior to his injury. And that was without Jimmy GQ. He’s currently the 37th WR taken in Yahoo! leagues and he provides incredible value late in the draft.

Robbie Anderson gets all the fantasy football attention out of the Jets‘ WR corps, but I’d rather take a flyer on Jermaine Kearse with a full offseason in New York under his belt than select Anderson at his 9th round price. Factor in Anderson’s potential suspension and Kearse, who can be had during the last couple rounds of the draft, will be the easy choice at the position if I’m looking for a WR from the Jets. It’s worth noting that I’m not too worried about Kearse’s abdominal injury, as the risk with drafting him late is extremely low.

With half of the preseason over for every team in the NFC, let’s take a look at some fantasy-worthy notes:

Jimmy Garoppolo completed 10-of-12 passes for 136 yards in the 49ers‘ second preseason contest. Three of the targets went to Marquise Goodwin, including a 40-yard bomb. Goodwin has the potential to be a WR2. He’s the 35th WR off the board in average drafts. He’s severely underrated on NFL.com where he’s being taken on average as the 43rd WR.

If you’re playing on NFL.com, Pierre Garcon is a player to be cautious with. He’s going 28th among WR on NFL, but 35.0 overall across all sites.

Mitch Trubisky is going to let a lot of Bears fans down this season, but he’s going to make a lot of Trey Burton fantasy owners happy. Burton was targeted on six of the QB’s 14 attempts against the Broncos on Saturday, catching four for 45 yards and a touchdown. He’s in the TE1 conversation.

Nick Vannett received another end zone target for the Seahawks, a week after catching a TD pass. Russell Wilson & Company are going to have issues in the red zone this season, as they did on Saturday night. Vannett could be the guy to help them overcome their problem in that area.

The Lions‘ first-team offensive line struggled against the Giants. Matthew Stafford went 2-for-5 with three of his passes going toward Marvin Jones Jr.

Sam Bradford looked sharped against the Saints, as we relayed on Saturday in a piece that evaluated Arizona’s regular season win total. Relying on Bradford to get you through the season at QB isn’t wise, but if you’re looking for a low-cost DF option in week 1, he’s not a bad pick vs. Washington.

Jerick McKinnon has a muscle strain and there’s no timetable for when he’ll be back in the lineup. Prior to the injury, there was talk of him not being the “bell-cow” back in the offense. If that ends up being the case, McKinnon may be going too high in fantasy drafts. His average ADP is within the top 30 on ESPN.